


Same Difference

by orphan_account



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Developing Relationship, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Parent Tony Stark, Parent/Teacher, Pepper Potts Is a Good Bro, Post-Divorce
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-01-01 08:24:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18332300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: After Tony meets with his son's teacher about Peter's recent emotional behavior, he can't help but think about how rough the divorce between him and Pepper is on his ten year old son. He also can't help but think about how attractive Peter's teacher is.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> NEW FIC YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!  
> This one is not yet written but is kind of planned out! There is no upload schedule for this as of now but I really hope you enjoy!  
> ALSO! This is a Pepper Potts friendly fic. I love that woman and she loves her son greatly, and I know she is an excellent mother.
> 
> ENJOY!

The sound of the 80s drifts through the air from a speaker nestled on the top shelf of Tony Stark’s garage (or as his workshop, as he insists on calling it). The man hums the tune softly as he sways his hips, tossing a wrench in the air and catching it before bending down to look at the machinery under the hood of his car. His eyes gloss over the parts, eyeing certain places that could use a bit of a tune up, noting in the back of his mind the ways to fix it and if he needed extra parts from the store. Luckily, he discovers with a sigh of relief, no new tools or parts are needed, and he gets to work on the first fix - replacing the air filter. It’s a relatively simple job that he can get done in a few minutes, and he does so, unscrewing the retainers and adding a replacement. Just as he finishes securing the fresh filter, the sound of the music is replaced by a typical ringtone, and with a huff Tony backs away from the car and grabs his phone. He arches an eyebrow at the unrecognizable number, and answers it with a gruff “hello?”

 

 _“Hello, is this Tony Stark? Peter’s father?”_ The voice on the other line asks. Tony blinks, slightly taken aback at the mention of his son.

 

“Yes, this is him.” Tony replies, his heart rate elevating slightly. “Is everything okay? Who is this?”

 

 _“My name is Stephen Strange. I’m Peter’s teacher.”_ The other line answers, and there’s a small sigh of relief from Tony.

 

“Oh, hello. Is everything alright? With Peter? Is he sick?”

 

 _“Peter is healthy, well, physically, at least. I’m sorry to call you and interrupt whatever you are doing, but it seems that Peter has been lashing out lately, and most recently tried to fight with another boy in my class. He’s currently sitting out of recess in my classroom, and I wanted to ask if you would come by so we could have a discussion about his behavior.”_ Stephen sounds a bit worried. _“He’s a good student and I would rather not have to report him to the office, so I figured having a discussion with you might be the best option for him.”_

 

“Of course, I’ll be right there.” Tony sighs as he closes the hood of his car, grabbing the keys off the shelf and opening the garage door. “What classroom number?”

 

_“177. It’s on the first floor. Just walk through the doors and go into the office to receive a visitor’s pass. Thank you so much, Mr. Stark.”_

 

“Not a problem, I’ll be there soon. Goodbye.” Tony hangs up the phone and tosses it into the cupholder as he turns on his car. “Christ, Peter,” Tony shakes his head and sighs. “I know a lot of things have been different lately, but this can’t be happening.”

 

Peter’s peculiar behavior hasn’t been foreign in recent weeks, although this has been the first instance of it happening in school. He is angry far more often than not, constantly lashing out at Tony for silly things and acting as if he is a rebellious teenager, except the only difference is that Peter is ten years old. Tony lets out a huff in frustration - Peter should have at least another three years before the hatred of the parents kicks in - it shouldn’t be while he is still a child.

 

However, Tony admits, that Peter’s home life has been far too confusing in recent months. The divorce affected him greatly, and when Tony and Pepper sat him down to tell him that his parents were getting a divorce, Peter cried for hours, throwing his toys around and locking himself in his room. Heartbreaking was the only word that Tony could use to describe the situation, and both Tony and Pepper had agreed to act for what’s best for Peter. They remained civil, as it wasn’t a messy divorce, but rather one of mutual understanding and realizing that their marriage wasn’t what they had wanted anymore.

 

Of course, it is difficult for a young child to grasp that reality, and Tony could only watch in pain as he saw the nature of his once kind and generous young boy transform into a closed door, shutting him out and becoming entirely too defensive. He finds himself always at a loss, his mind blank with confusion and anxiety that anything he could say could make things far worse.

 

Tony pulls into the parking lot of the school, parking into a spot marked “Visitors Only” near the front doors. The school is on the smaller side, with only being an intermediate school - the students were only fourth and fifth graders. It has a warm, welcoming presence with two lovely playgrounds for recess, and out of the corner of his eye as he steps out of the car, Tony can see groups of kids playing on one of the playgrounds.

 

He walks through the doors in a bit of a rush, shooting a quick hello to the receptionist in the office and grabbing a visitor’s pass before making his way down the hall to find room 177. The lockers that decorate the hallways are a bright, orange color, and Tony notices that some lockers are covered with wrapping paper to indicate a birthday. He smiles softly to himself, noting how sweet some children are to their friends, and wonders if Peter’s friends will do the same when the time comes.

 

Room 177 is located near the end of the hallway on the right side, and Tony carefully opens the door and peers his head in. He notices Peter immediately, sitting with his head down in one of the desks in the front of the room, before his eyes shift over to the man behind the desk. The man stands up, noticing Tony in the doorway and walks over to greet him with a smile.

 

“Hello, I’m Stephen,” he says, holding his hand out for Tony to shake, who accepts. “Thank you for coming in.”

 

“Not a problem.”

 

The first thing Tony notices about Stephen Strange is the bright, blue gaze that pierces right through him. He also takes note of the warm smile and the way his hair curls just over his face in an endearing way. Stephen Strange is an attractive man, Tony comes to realize.

 

“Mr. Stark?” Stephen’s voice snaps him out of whatever trance he was in. Tony blinks before shaking his head.

 

“Sorry, just a bit out of my head today.” Tony sucks in his breath and glances at Peter, who is now looking at his father with a sad, disappointed look. “What happened with Peter?”

 

“Just before the classes were dismissed to go to lunch and recess,” Stephen begins as he walks back towards his desk. “Peter pushed another student and started yelling at him. I told him that he could eat his lunch in here with me and I can bring you in, and he agreed to that.”

 

“Oh, Kid.” Tony murmurs softly, taking a seat next to Peter. “What’s going on?”

 

Peter remains silent, dropping his head back down on the desk. Tony sighs and glances back at Stephen, who is half-sitting on the top of his desk with his arms crossed, a worried expression on his face.

 

“Peter has always been a wonderful student. But recently I’ve noticed his temperament has been rather short. He’s been talking back, lashing out, all things that are abnormal. I was wondering if there is something going on back at home, though I must apologize for asking as bluntly as that.” Stephen bites his lip. “I tried asking Peter about it but he refuses to share, only telling me to call you.”

 

“Yeah,” Tony rubs the back of his neck and stands up, lowering his voice as he stands near Stephen. “His mother and I are going through a divorce. It’s not terrible or uncivil by any means, but I think it’s been rather tough on him. I don’t think he’s quite able to properly cope. That’s at least my theory on this whole thing. He hasn’t particularly been pleasing at home either.”

 

Stephen sucks in his breath and nods, taking in the information. “That makes sense. Divorce can have a toll on young kids.”

 

“Look, uh,” Tony rolls his shoulders and sighs. “Pep and I are really doing everything we can to try and alleviate some of the stress, but we’re really torn. I’m sorry that he’s caused this...whatever to occur in your class.”

 

“Have you tried therapy?”

 

“Marriage therapy?” Tony arches an eyebrow somewhat confused and a tad bit offended at that question. “Well, obviously, but we realized that we wouldn’t-”

 

“No,” Stephen quickly shakes his head. “Not talking about your marriage. I’m talking about Peter.”

 

“Oh,” Tony’s face turns mildly red. “I was going to say, Teach, a little personal there.”

 

Stephen chuckles. “I have some boundaries, Mr. Stark.”

 

The way Stephen chuckles resonates with Tony in a peculiar way, and he pushes that thought into the back of his mind. “Therapy for Peter?”

 

“Yes,” Stephen replies, his voice still low enough for Peter not to overhear. “He may need an emotional outlet for him to talk about his feelings. There’s plenty of therapists on school grounds designated for that, but Peter may prefer one off school grounds for some method of privacy.”

 

Tony bites his lip as he weighs that option. Therapy could be a good way for Peter to let out his emotions without directly talking to Pepper or himself. But Peter may not be so keen to that idea - he’s incredibly stubborn and defensive of his recent attitudes. He glances at his son, whose head is still resting on his desk, his messy hair falling everywhere. Tony feels his heart sink - he only wants what’s best for his son. He needs to have a discussion with Pepper.

 

“I’ll talk to my ex-wife about therapy, and see what she thinks,” Tony says after a few minutes. “Thank you for the suggestion.”

 

“Of course, Mr. Stark, I only want what’s best for Peter. He really is one of my best students, I’m genuinely worried for him.”

 

“Please,” Tony smiles and shakes his head. “Call me Tony.”

 

Stephen returns the smile and briefly bows his head. “Then I suppose it’s only fair for you to call me Stephen.”

 

“Can I go back to recess now?” Peter lifts his head and Tony’s eyes narrow in on his tear stained face. “Please? I’m sorry I pushed Flash.”

 

“Peter,” Tony walks over to his son and kneels down to his level. “You wanna tell me what happened today, bud?”

 

Peter sniffles before answering. “I overheard Flash say something kind of mean, so I pushed him and started saying mean things to him.”

 

Tony arches an eyebrow. “Well, what did Flash say?”

 

“I don’t...even remember…” Peter admits, his head falling in defeat.

 

“Flash and Peter don’t typically get along,” Stephen chimes in. “I tend to keep them separated for that reason.”

 

“Mr. Strange, I’m really really sorry. I don’t really know what happened. I just got really really angry all of a sudden.” Peter wipes at his eyes with his sleeve. “I have been feeling angry a lot lately, and I don’t know why.”

 

Tony glances at Stephen for a brief moment before turning back to Peter. “Hey, it’s okay. You have a lot going on, kiddo, and Mom and I are going to figure it all out. Remember, you’re staying with her tonight. Maybe you can have a movie night with her and just relax, okay?”

 

Peter nods, smiling just barely through his sniffling. “Okay, Dad.”

 

“Listen, Peter, I gotta go back home, but do you think you’ll be able to behave yourself for the rest of the day? I think there’s still enough time left of recess, maybe Mr. Strange will let you go play if you promise to be good?” Tony casts a glance over to the taller man, who nods. “Do you promise to be good?”

 

Peter nods enthusiastically. “Yes! Yes, I promise to be good. Can I please go out and play now?”

 

“Yes, Peter.” Stephen smiles softly and gestures towards the door. “You may go out and play. Just no running, and please behave yourself.”

 

Taking that cue, Peter rushes to the corner of the room to grab his coat and open the door. “Bye Dad! I’ll see you later!”

 

“Heh, bye Petey.” Tony waves before rubbing the back of his neck and sighing, watching Peter leave. He turns back around to face Stephen. “Thanks for calling me in. I’m going to have a talk with my ex-wife and get her opinion on this.”

 

“That might be best.” Stephen nods, his blue eyes blinking softly. “That should be a family decision. In fact, I actually have a good recommendation for an off school grounds therapist, if you would like her contact information.” He stands up off the desk and rummages through his bad, pulling out a business card and handing it to Tony. “Her name is Carol Danvers, and she’s excellent in dealing with kids with all sorts of stressors. My little cousin actually goes to her and she’s very good at what she does.”

 

Tony accepts the card and stares at it briefly before nodding and putting it in his pocket. “Thank you, that’ll probably make _finding_ the therapist a lot easier. I’m also mainly worried about Peter’s reaction to us getting him one, he already hides so much from his mother and I, and it makes me scared that perhaps a therapist may not work for him.”

 

“It may take a few sessions for him to properly open up, but I think with the right amount of pushing, he’ll be able to do so.”

 

“Hopefully. Anyway, thanks again for bringing me in and letting me know about this whole shin-ding.” Tony gestures towards the door and starts backing up, and Stephen lets out a small chuckle.

 

“No worries. If you could just close the door on your way out, that’d be wonderful.”

 

Tony flashes a smile at Stephen, catching a glimpse of Stephen’s own before closing the door behind him. He takes a few deep breaths - it should be illegal for someone to be _that_ attractive. “Don’t go crushing on your son’s teacher now, Tony,” he notes to himself, shaking his head. “Don’t add to his fuckin’ stress.”

 

As he walks down the hallway, he opens up his phone and scrolls down to find Pepper’s contact, pressing the ‘call’ button and bringing it up to his ear. It rings three times before a small voice on the other line answers. _“Hello?”_

 

“Pep, hey.”

 

_“What’s up, Tony? Is everything okay?”_

 

“Everything is...alright, but we need to talk about Peter.” Tony says, his voice catching a bit. He coughs and clears his throat. “He got into some trouble at school today, I just spoke with his teacher.”

 

 _“Oh, no,”_ Pepper groans on the other line. _“What did he do?”_

 

“Pushed another kid for no reason, and apparently he’s been exhibiting the same sort of ‘lashing out’ attitude at school, at least that’s what his teacher has been telling me.”

 

 _“Oh, God, okay.”_ Pepper sounds exhausted - she’s most likely at work, and Tony knows just how much her job tires her out. _“What can we do?”_

 

Tony presses his car keys and unlocks his car, opening the door and sitting down. “Teacher suggested therapy, and even gave me a card for a therapist.”

 

 _“Therapy?”_ Her tone indicates a sense of surprise. _“Do you think Peter would even want to go?”_

 

“We’ll probably have to convince him, Pep, but Stephen says it’ll be a relatively good option for him to let out his feelings.”

 

_“Stephen?”_

 

“His teacher,” Tony clarifies. “What do you think? We can discuss more about this when you come pick him up tonight.”

 

Pepper sighs on the other line, and Tony could hear the sound of rustling papers. _“Yeah, that’ll probably be best. I’ll see you later, okay?_

 

“See you,” he replies, and locks his phone, placing it in the nearby cup holder. With a soft sigh, Tony rubs his face and neck, feeling strong tension in his muscles before pressing the engine button to start the car.

 

* * *

 

“Peter! Can you come down here? Your mother is here and we would like to talk to you.” Tony calls out from the living room before turning to Pepper. “You think he can hear me?”

 

“You never should have gotten him those headphones,” Pepper scoffs. “He never listens anymore.”

 

“Well, he listens to music, so…” Tony arches an eyebrow and shrugs, and Pepper rolls her eyes.

 

“Don’t be a smartass.” Pepper walks over to the foyer and yells up towards Peter’s room. “Peter! Did you hear us? Please come down!”

 

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Peter yells back, opening his door and racing down the stairs. He has a backpack slung over his shoulder and with a loud _thump_ he crashes onto the couch, his fingers crossed in his lap. “What’s up! Hi Mom.”

 

“Hey, bud,” she casts him a smile. “You ready for our weekend?”

 

“Yeah! Can we watch a movie tonight?”

 

“Of course, sweetie.” She ruffles his hair as she sits down next to him on the couch. “But first, we need to discuss something with you. Dad told me about your little issue in school today.”

 

Peter drops his head and his voice softens. “Oh.”

 

“I know that Mom and Dad getting a divorce is hard on you, Peter,” Pepper says. “We want to help you as best as we can-”

 

“You can start by getting back together.” Peter mumbles, sniffling. Pepper sighs and glances at Tony, who rubs the back of his neck.

 

“Peter, that’s not an option. Your mother and I decided that this was the best thing for us-”

 

“How?!” Peter shouts, crossing his arms and sinking back into the couch. “This is not the best thing!”

 

“Peter,” Pepper tries to soothe him. “How would you feel about going to therapy? You can talk to someone there that’s not us. You can talk to her about your feeling and we never even have to know.”

 

Peter lifts his head up, his eyebrows raised in confusion. “Therapy?”

 

“That’s right,” Tony confirms. “I talked to the therapist over the phone. She’s lovely and sweet and is excited to meet you. It’ll be like making a new friend at school, except not at school! You can do arts and crafts, play games, eat some snacks, and talk about how you’re feeling. Doesn’t that sound great?”

 

Peter scowls, narrowing his eyes at his father. “Is this another babysitter?”

 

“No, Peter,” Pepper shakes her head. “This is not a babysitter. She’s not there to watch you. She’s there to help you understand your feelings.”

 

“Okay, good, because I’m ten. I don’t need a babysitter.”

 

“You told me today, Peter, that you didn’t understand why you’ve been mean lately.” Tony bends down to eye level and places a hand on Peter’s knee. “Ms. Carol will help you find out why that is and help solve the problem. She’ll be like...a superhero!”

 

“A superhero?” Peter shakes his head. “Dad, I’m not _nine_ anymore! I’m ten!”

 

Tony sighs and lets out a chuckle. “Yes, you’re getting old. Soon you’ll be as old as your father.” He ruffles Peter’s hair, who lets out a string of protests. “But since you’re growing up, you can start deciding what you want to do. Now Peter, your Mom and I really think that therapy will help you through this. Do you think that you can do it?”

 

Peter remains silent for a moment, putting his right hand under his chin, seemingly lost in thought. “Okay,” he states after awhile. “I’ll do this therapy. But only if I can get those snacks.”

 

Pepper laughs and nods. “Yes, Ms. Carol has snacks in her room. You’ll be able to meet with her tomorrow.” She stands up and stretches, grabbing Peter’s bookbag off the floor and slinging it over her shoulder. “You ready to go, kiddo? You’ve got a big decision to make tonight - it is your movie choice, after all!”

 

Peter springs up and grins. “I’m ready! Do you think I can watch a teenager movie?”

 

“What! No way.”

 

“But Dad shows them to me!” Peter pouts, and Pepper crosses her arms and casts Tony a look.

 

“Oh he _does,_ does he?”

 

“Hey,” Tony raises his hands in surrender. “Anything for my son.” He winks at Peter, who giggles.

 

“Bye Dad!” Peter hugs Tony tightly.

 

“Bye, Kid.” Tony waves as Peter leaves with Pepper. “I’ll see you tomorrow at your appointment.”

 

“10:00 in the morning,” Pepper reminds him, and Tony gives her a thumbs up.

 

“10:00,” he repeats, and waves once more before crashing down on the couch after the door closes. He sighs and rubs at his neck again, feeling the tension and soreness - he needs to get a massage somehow. That will have to be for another day.

 

As he leans back and relaxes into the couch, his thoughts drift towards his meeting with Stephen Strange. Since the divorce, Tony hasn’t been actively looking for people he found attractive to ask out - the divorce still fresh in his mind, but Stephen, however, was the first person to really put a damper in that. He was tall, and Tony could see traces of muscle beneath his plaid shirt. His hair was neatly done up but a couple of loose curls had fallen over his face, creating a look that Tony couldn’t help but find utterly adorable. His voice was low and had a nice texture to it, and Tony feels as though he could listen to that voice for hours. And his eyes - those magnificent blue eyes that seemed to encapture him.

 

Tony lets out a groan. Something is telling him that this Stephen character isn’t going to be leaving his head any time soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing: Carol Danvers!

The room is silent, the only exception being a small clock in the shape of a cat hanging up right next to the closed door. In the back of the room, there’s a large chest of toys and a clean whiteboard perched up against the wall, freshly cleaned and without a single stain. Two chairs sit opposite one another, and in one chair rests Peter, who bites at his lip as he stares at his hands. Carol Danvers smiles patiently, her fingers gently tapping at her clipboard, creating a steady beat. He looks small, she notes to herself, as he avoids her gaze, preferring his barren fingernails as a more suitable subject to look at.

 

“Peter,” she starts softly. “You are in no rush and can take as much time as you need. We don’t have to talk much, just as much as you want. You own this time.”

 

Peter nods, his gaze still averted. The corners of Carol’s mouth tips upwards in a small smile.

 

“Why don’t you tell me your age? We can just begin there. Is that okay?” Her voice is soothing, calm, as every therapist’s voice should be. Carol is experienced with shy children, and Peter is no different. She’s studied how to approach and talk to them, with ease and a gentle tone, letting them know that they are in control of the situation. 

 

At her words, Peter’s head slowly moves up and down in a nod. “I’m ten,” he answers in a low voice. 

 

“Ten, huh? And when is your birthday, Peter?” 

 

“August 10th.” 

 

Carol places her clipboard next to her, sending a subtle signal to Peter that she really is not going to force him to talk about something that he doesn’t feel like talking about. He glances at her, his eyes widening in small confusion and a sense of fear. She smiles as she reaches into the jar on the table next to her and pulls out a lollipop and hands it to Peter, who accepts it with wide eyes and a new, bright smile. 

 

“Thank you,” he says, before unwrapping the bubble-gum flavored lollipop and sticking it in his mouth.

 

“You are very welcome, Peter. If at any point you would like one, just let me know.” Carol bites her lip and leans back in her comfortable chair. “Did you have a big birthday party for your tenth birthday?”

 

Peter takes out his lollipop and nods. “Yes. Um, I had some friends over and we had it in our backyard. Dad grilled and Mom made the cake. It was a chocolate cake, and it was really good!”

 

“Chocolate cake, huh? Sounds wonderful. Did you have a specific theme? Like superheros?”

 

Peter shakes his head and grimaces a bit. “No, I’m too old for superheros. That’s a nine year old thing!”

 

Carol tilts her head and arches an eyebrow, an amused look on her face. “Too old for superheros? I don’t think  _ anyone _ is too old for superheros. You know, my favorite superhero is Wonder Woman.”

 

Peter’s jaw drops. “You like superheros?”

 

Carol smirks, her eyes beaming with pride. “Yes I do. Did somebody tell you that being ten means you’re too old for that stuff?”

 

Peter lowers his gaze before nodding. “Yes. A kid in my grade told me that superheros were for young boys. Children. I’m double digits now, I mean, I’m like, an adult!”

 

“You are just like an adult,” Carol muses. “And you know what being an adult is?”

 

Peter pops his lollipop back in his mouth and shakes his head, his eyebrows furrowing in wonder.

 

“Being an adult means that you can like whatever you want, and nobody can tell you otherwise.” Carol crosses her legs and intertwines her fingers in her lap. “Peter, what’s your favorite superhero?”

 

Peter ponders the question for a moment, narrowing his eyes as he concentrates. Carol grins at the sight - kids are always amusing to work with. “Um, Batman, I think. I like the way he looks. His uniform is super cool!” He pauses for a moment. “Does this….does this mean that I’m allowed to like superheros? Even though I’m ten?”

 

Carol nods, grinning. “Of course, Peter. You can like whatever you want to like. You shouldn’t let that one boy in your class decide that for you.”

 

“Oh.” He squirms in his seat. “Okay then.”

 

Another silence. Carol weighs her options - she had successfully gotten Peter to talk, at least - a wonderful goal checked off. But she needs Peter to expand, and properly learn how to communicate. He seemed to have a positive reaction when Carol spoke from her personal experience. In order for Peter to talk about his family, perhaps she needs to talk about hers.

 

“Peter, I know I’m a stranger. How about I tell you a little bit about myself?” She asks.

 

“Okay,” Peter nods.

 

Carol clears her throat, sitting up in her chair. “My name is Carol Danvers. I’m twenty-eight years old, and I am married. You see this picture, here on this table?” She picks up a framed picture and shows it to Peter. “This woman next to me in the pink dress is my wife, Maria. I love her a lot. And the young child in my arms is my baby Monica. She was born just under a year ago.”

 

“Wow,” Peter leans forward. “That’s cool. I have pictures like this around my house too.”

 

Carol smiles and places the photo frame back on the table. “You do? Tell me, what’s in these pictures?”

 

“They’re usually of my Mom, Dad, and me. Some of them I’m  _ really _ little, like a baby! Others I’m more grown.” He sighs, leaning back into his chair. “We used to take pictures like that every year. Now we really can’t do that anymore.”

 

Carol tilts her head. “Oh no? How come, Peter?”

 

Peter bites his lip, drumming his fingers on the arm rests of the chair. “Mom and Dad are separating. A divorce, I think it’s called. I…” He lowers his head, his voice becoming unbearably small. “I don’t want them too.”

 

Carol slowly grabs her clipboard and pen, writing that down. “I’m sorry to hear that. Do you think you’ll be able to tell me more about your family, Peter? Start with Dad, what’s he like?”

 

“Well,” Peter shrugs. “Dad works a lot with machines. He’s very good at building things. He’s funny too, always making jokes. He always tries to, um, make sure I’m alright.”

 

“He takes good care of you, huh?”

 

“Yes,” Peter continues. “Sometimes Dad lets me watch PG-13 movies, even though Mom disapproves of that.”

 

“Mhm, and how’s Mom?” Carol asks.

 

“She’s always working, she’s working her way up a company.” Peter explains, averting his eyes. “She’s very caring, always making sure I do my homework or do well in school. Also always wearing a helmet when I ride a bike.”

 

Carol chuckles. “Safety is important, of course.”

 

Peter nods. “Yeah, she’s just your typical mother. I see her every other weekend.”

 

“So you live with your Dad most of the time?”

 

“Yeah. It’s because my Dad kept the house, considering it was my Grandfather’s, and they didn’t want me to move schools. I’m glad they did that, at least. I didn’t want to be the new kid. Nobody ever likes the new kid.” Peter speaks softly, eyes still gazing in his lap.

 

“That’s understandable,” Carol says as she writes. “Do you know the reason for the divorce?”

 

“Mom and Dad say it’s because they don’t love each other anymore.”

 

“Peter, how long have your parents been officially divorced?”

 

Peter takes a moment to answer. “Um, I think a few months, But they have been separated longer.”

 

“Mhm, and how are you feeling about it?”

 

Peter’s head snaps up, his eyes widening before slowly lowering his head again. “I...I don’t like it…”

 

“No, nobody likes it when their parents get divorced.” Carol shakes her head. “Can you tell me more? You don’t like it, but what emotions do you feel?”

 

“I get…sad.” Peter sniffles, wiping at his eyes. “My Mom and Dad, they were really in love, Ms. Carol. Really. In the pictures...in th-the...whenever I saw them together.” 

 

Carol reaches for a tissue and hands it to Peter, who accepts it. “Can I throw this out for you?” She gestures towards Peter’s lollipop stick. Peter nods and hands it to her, and she tosses it into the garbage can next to her chair. “You get sad?”

 

“All the t-time,” Peter hiccups. “It’s all so new, and so...upsetting. I mean, they’re my parents, and now I only see my mother on every second weekend. And my Dad, well, he’s a wreck sometimes too. I think he misses her...sometimes. And I get my hopes up that one day they’ll both realize that they do love each other and get back together...but Dad always shoots that down. And I hate that.”

 

“Oh,” Carol crosses her legs and writes down those thoughts, emphasizing the ‘hate.’ “This ‘hate’ you feel, is it more anger? Do you get mad at your parents?”

 

Peter nods, and looks up for a brief moment. Carol can see the splotches on his face from crying. “I get so mad sometimes. I punch and throw things and slam doors. Sometimes I feel like I can’t even control it. I think...I think that’s the reason why I am here. Mom and Dad think that you can help me.”

 

Carol leans forward and smiles. “Peter, do  _ you _ think I can help you?”

 

Peter shrugs. “I hope so. I don’t like being mad all the time. It makes me feel bad.”

 

Carol nods, her smile growing just a bit wider. “Peter, this is what I’m here for. I’m going to help you, okay? We’re going to work through these feelings and try to understand why you are having them, and why that’s perfectly okay. Do you think you’ll be able to expand more on this anger you feel? Like, when do you typically experience this anger?”

 

Peter muses on that for a few moments before sighing. “I don’t know. It can change! Sometimes it’s when I see other families being all happy and together and not separated. Other times it’s when Mom or Dad explains to be why they’re not together, that they don’t love each other the way that they used to. It’s not fair! How could they not love each other?” Carol notices Peter’s grip on the chair. “They should just - fall back in love!”

 

“Peter,” Carol states calmly. “It’s okay, just let it out.”

 

“A-and…” Tears are streaming down his face. “A-and I see kids like Flash and Ned and everyone have perfect parents! They love each other and they aren’t separated and they don’t have to split their time up with each of them and they don’t have to deal with the awkwardness and the tension or anything! It’s not  _ fair! _ Why do  _ I  _ have to have the broken family?!” He covers his face with his hands, sobbing loudly. Carol grabs the tissue box and leans forward to place it down next to Peter.

 

“Peter,” she says calmly. “It’s okay. Your feelings are perfectly normal. And your family isn’t broken.”

 

“Yes it is!” She hears through small sobs.

 

“No it isn’t. Peter,” Carol brushes a hand through her hair, putting it out of her face. “You Mom and Dad love you. So much. They will do anything to make you happy. It’s why you’re here, Peter. They love you and they’re worried for you.”

 

Peter lifts his head up, sniffling. “If they loved me so much, why are they doing this to me?”

 

“Because, Peter.” Carol sighs and reaches in the jar besides her, pulling out another lollipop and handing it to him. “Being an adult means making decisions, and sometimes these decisions may seem bad at first, but for the future, they could be very good. A happy marriage should involve two people who are deeply in love. Peter, your Mom and Dad really are not in love anymore, and that’s okay.”

 

“But...why?”

 

“That,” Carol leans back in her seat. “I cannot tell you. That is your parents’ business. What I can tell you, is that your feelings of anger and frustration are perfectly normal.”

 

“I don’t...feel normal.”

 

“I know. But you are. And this is what I’m here for. I’m here to help you. And your parents too. They really do love you Peter, and I know it’s difficult for you to see that right now, but it’s true. And they are trying their best to work through it and make it as easy as possible.”

 

“I know that,” Peter says. “I know they’re trying hard to make it easier. I overhear them sometimes. It’s just - I wish...I wish it didn’t have to happen, you know?”

 

“It’s okay, Peter. Thousands of kids go through this. You are not alone.” Carol smiles warmly. “Would you like to play a game? Maybe we can get back to these thoughts another time. We can have more sessions, as many as you’d like, but how about we play a game now?”

 

A small smile appears on Peter’s face. “Game? Like...Monopoly?”

 

Carol laughs. “Certainly. We can play Monopoly if you’d like!”

 

“I love Monopoly!” The young boy hops out of the chair with enthusiasm. “Dad and I play it all the time. I mostly win, but sometimes he wins. It’s really fun!” He pauses, blinking up at Carol. “We...can really play?”

 

“Of course,” Carol smiles. “Like I said, Peter, this time is your time. You can do whatever you’d like.”

 

“Okay,” Peter grins. “Then I want to play Monopoly!”

 

* * *

 

“You need to calm down, Tony.” Pepper’s voice snaps Tony from his thoughts.

 

They have been waiting outside of Carol’s room for about and hour, waiting for the door to open and for Carol to tell them about her first session with Peter. Tony and Pepper are sitting next to each other in the somewhat uncomfortable chairs of the waiting lounge. She’s flipping through a magazine with utter disinterest, and Tony has been tapping his foot out of anxiety for almost the entire time.

 

“He’s going to be okay,” She continues, and Tony scoffs.

 

“How do you know that, Pep?” He questions. “For all we know, he could just be sitting there, crying, not talking about anything.”

 

“Therapy takes time.” Pepper sighs, shaking her head as she turns another page. “Even if he doesn’t respond well to this first session, he may respond well to the second. He’s a young boy, Tony, this is all so new and scary for him.”

 

“I just - I want to make it easier for him,” Tony murmurs. “It just kills me to see him like this, and well, what if this takes such a huge toll that it fucks him up for the rest of his life?”

 

“Tony, listen to me,” Pepper places the magazine down and looks him in the eye. “Plenty of kids have to go through a parent’s divorce at a young age, and a lot of them turn out to be just fine. Regardless, this is why we are here, this is why we are taking Peter to therapy, so we can work through these.” She swallows, and Tony can see a hint of a tear gleaming in one of her eyes. “And...and if it does affect him...really badly, then all we can do is love and support our son as best as we can.”

 

Tony covers his face with his hands, sighing.

 

“I know. I wish it was different too, Tony,” Pepper empathizes. “I wish we could have made it work. But he will understand when he is older and he falls in love. I have full faith in that our boy is going to get through whatever...this is.”

 

“I’d do anything for that kid, Pep.” Tony slouches back in his seat. 

 

“I would too, Tony. Peter is wonderful, and really, I am so glad he’s our son.” The tear that was threatening to fall before gently slivers down her face and she wipes it with her hand. “He’ll be okay - Peter’s a strong boy.”

 

The door opens and Peter runs out, immediately hugging Tony and then Pepper. “Dad! Mom! Hello!” 

 

“H-hey Kid!” Tony grins. “How was it?”

 

“So fun! Ms. Carol and I played Monopoly! I beat her, because I’m so good at it. But Ms. Carol was also very good! I was just better.” Peter rambles on and Tony and Pepper share a laugh.

 

“Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts? May I have a word?” Carol appears in the doorway, smiling.

 

“Of course,” Pepper answers. She turns to Peter. “You just stay out here for a moment while Dad and I go talk to Ms. Carol, okay?”

 

Peter nods. “Okay, Mom.”

 

Carol stands to the side and allows the two to walk into the room. She closes the door and grins. “Peter is wonderful. We had a great session.”

 

Pepper lights up. “Really?”

 

“Yes,” She nods. “He was quiet at first, but I eventually got him to start talking to me a little bit about what is going on with your family. It’s not quite where we want him to be with talking, but I genuinely think that with more sessions, he will open up more.”

 

“That’s fantastic,” Tony replies, pulling out his checkbook. “Thank you so much for doing this. Is there...uh, anything we can do to help out at home? Maybe try and make this process a little easier on him?”

 

“Oh, absolutely.” Carol hands him a bill. “Be sure to definitely keep an eye on him, and try and note how many of these ‘anger outbursts’ that you see. My plan is to try and keep him from getting to that point in his emotions that he lashes out without meaning, and slowly but surely, I think we can get him there. If you think that he’s about to lash out, let him. Don’t yell, don’t punish, just let him get out his emotions, and calm him down afterwards.”

 

“Would that really work?” Pepper arches an eyebrow. “I mean, I don’t know if we should be condoning his angry behavior.”

 

Carol presses her lips together in a thin line and nods. “I know it may seem odd, but any expression of emotion around you is inherently a good thing. If he finds that he is able to express himself, and won’t face some repercussions, he might be willing to open up to you more, and you might be able to understand some of it and maybe take actions to help prevent it.”

 

“That makes sense,” Tony chimes in, handing her the check. “Thank you so much, Carol. Really. I’ll bring him back next weekend.”

 

“Of course,” Carol grins. “He truly is a wonderful boy. I’m rooting for him.”

 

“Goodbye, Carol. Thank you!” Pepper waves as she goes back into the hallway. She leans over and whispers into Tony’s ear. “She’s great.”

 

“Yeah, incredible.” Tony grins. “You’ll keep watch of these outbursts? He’s still yours for the rest of the weekend.”

 

“Mhm. I’ll call you if anything happens.” She smiles as she grabs Peter’s coat of the rack and hands it to him. “Ready to go, Pete? You want some lunch?”

 

“Yeah! Can we get McDonalds?”

 

“Absolutely not.” Pepper shakes her head. “Your father needs to stop spoiling you so much with fast food.” She shoots an amused glare at Tony, who shrugs.

 

“Hey, sometimes he wants a toy, and I want a milkshake.” Tony defends, crossing his arms. “Who am I to deny that?”

 

Pepper rolls her eyes and scoffs. “Okay. Come on, Petey. We can go to the diner if you would like?”

 

“Oooh, yes! I love the diner!” Peter exclaims, following his mother out the doors. Tony waves goodbye once more before he gets into his own car.

 

* * *

 

There’s a rather long line at Johnny’s, a local coffee and pastry shop. Tony, however, decides that he desperately needs some sort of caffeine and food and waits in line. He eventually orders and receives it, when he notices a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. He pauses and turns around to get a better look. Stephen Strange, he recognizes, is sitting at a booth, typing away on a Macbook and drinking what looks to be an iced tea. He’s wearing a casual maroon sweater and some jeans, and his hair isn’t as neat as it would usually be if he was in school teaching.

 

Tony’s breath hitches and he can feel his heart rate elevate - it’s genuinely unfair that a man can be so breathtaking to look at. He grins to himself and walks over to the booth where the man is sitting. “Hey, Stephen Strange?”

 

Stephen looks up and his eyes widen. “Tony? Oh, hey!”

 

Tony gestures to the empty seat across the table. “This taken?”

 

“No, be my guest,” He smiles. “How are you?”

 

Tony sits down, returning the smile. “I’m alright. How are you?”

 

“Fine,” he says before sighing. “Just typing out some lesson plans. A real pain in my ass, I gotta tell you.”

 

“I bet,” Tony replies, chuckling. “I wanted to thank you for being so patient with Peter yesterday, and not sending him to the office or anything.”

 

“Of course,” Stephen takes a sip of his iced tea. “Like I had told you, Peter really is wonderful, I knew his behavior wasn’t normal.”

 

“Yeah, well,” Tony agrees. “We signed him up for therapy sessions. In fact, he just had one. He’s um, with his mother for the weekend.”

 

Stephen stares at him. “Really? That’s wonderful. How did it go?”

 

“Extremely well. Better than I thought it would go.” Tony shrugs, grabbing his drink and bringing it to his lips. “We think he’s going to be fine.”

 

“Fantastic,” the other man exclaims. “I know it must be really hard for him, with your divorce and all.”

 

“Eh, it’s… yeah it’s hard for him. But we’re working on it. Luckily, it’s not like Pepper and I aren’t amicable.”

 

Stephen pauses, playing with the straw of his drink for a moment. He bites at his lip, as if unsure of what to say. “If you...don’t mind...what happened? I know you told me it was amicable and all, but if you don’t mind me asking…”

 

“Oh, uh…” Tony blinks in surprise. “Sure, it’s no problem. Pepper and I met when I came into her workplace for a deal with the company I was working for at the time. She was the receptionist, I was just a young mechanic new to the workplace. I thought she was the most beautiful woman to exist, and we hit it off. We got married about two years later, and then we had Peter. But in the recent years, we could feel ourselves dwindling. It’s kind of hard to explain, really. I cared a lot about her but there was this sort of...unease with being together. I had mentioned that we went to couples’ therapy together but it wasn’t working out. That’s when we decided to get a divorce, because we both realized that we weren’t in love like we used to be.”

 

“Wow, that’s-” Stephen covers his mouth. “I’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t be,” Tony waves a hand in dismissal. “It could have been a lot worse.”

 

“That’s true,” Stephen agrees and smiles. Tony’s heart skips a beat and he silently curses at it. “Mechanic, huh?”

 

“It’s alright,” Tony lets out a small laugh. “Could have a worse field.”

 

“That’s true, though I do think being a mechanic is pretty cool.”

 

“Well then, Strange,” Tony grins. “Tell me about yourself, why don’t you? Considering I just told you about the woes of my love life.”

 

“Oh, yeah, of course.” Stephen closes his laptop and puts in his bag before folding his hands together on the table. “Well, I’m a teacher, as you obviously know. This is my second year at this school and I absolutely love it. I used to teach at this other school for about seven years before transferring here, and I definitely prefer this one. I’m thirty-eight, single, and chilling through life.”

 

Tony leans back in his booth and chuckles. “Amazing.”

 

“You’re also not the only one with relationship woes, Tony.” Stephen teases, playing with his drink again. 

 

“Oh really?”

 

“Yeah, about two year ago, I ended a three-year relationship with one of my coworkers.” Stephen explains.

 

“That why you transfer? Couldn’t take the awkwardness?”

 

“Actually,” Stephen chuckles. “I got a better job offer. I was more than happy to take it. Haven’t heard from her in quite some time, though.”

 

“Why’d you end it, if I can ask?”

 

Stephen shrugs. “Saw different things. It happens.”

 

“Absolutely,” Tony glances at his watch. “Man, I have to leave, but this was great. It was good seeing you, Stephen.”

 

“Ditto,” Stephen smiles and stands up, holding his hand out for Tony to shake, who accepts it. “Please, do keep me updated about Peter.”

 

“Of course, let me know if anything comes up again. Don’t hesitate to call me.” 

 

“Will do.” Stephen replies, and Tony turns to leave. “Oh, Tony?”

 

Tony turns around and arches an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

 

“Don’t be a stranger,” He winks.

 

Tony feels his face heat up and he nods and smiles. “Alright,” is all he can manage before turning around and walking out the door.

 

He does not have a crush on his son’s teacher. Absolutely not. Absolutely. Not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story kind of interveaves my own experience with therapy/my parents divorce. Hope you guys are enjoying it so far!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I've seen Endgame. I have a lot to say on the matter lol.
> 
> Yes. I still ship ironstrange.
> 
> Yes, I'm also on a sambucky bullshit.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy chapter 3 <3

Tony eyes the school, his gaze glossing over the hundreds of students that were just dismissed from the day. He’s sitting in the car pickup line like he normally does, waiting for Peter to come out of the doors and go home. Peter’s usually pretty quick about getting out and going, but sometimes, he has to stop off at his locker and grab a few items, causing a minor delay. 

 

Out of the crowd, Tony spots his son - his head is down and his backpack is slung loosely around his shoulder. He’s not wearing a jacket, and Tony can’t remember if he had on a jacket this morning. Peter climbs into the car and slumps into the seat. His appearance and tonality seems to give off a frustrated and somber vibe, and Tony feels a little anxiety pulse through him. Is Peter okay? Did something happen? Did he lash out again?

 

“Hey, Kiddo,” Tony plays cautiously. “How was school?”

 

“Fine,” is all Peter musters, turning his head to look out the window.

 

Tony takes a deep breath, biting his lip. “Just fine?”

 

“Yep.” Peter enunciates the ‘p.’ 

 

Tony sighs - obviously his kid has something going on inside that head of his. “Peter?”

 

“Yes, Dad?”

 

“What’s going on?” 

 

Peter makes a shrugging motion. “Nothing’s going on. Can you leave me alone now? I don’t feel like talking.”

 

Tony opens his mouth to speak, but then closes it. He can’t force his child to speak, no matter how much he wants to know what is gnawing at him. “One more thing, Peter, then I’ll shut up. I’m your father. I love and I care about you so much. If there really is something wrong, I would love to help you out. Anything, you can talk to me, Peter.”

 

Peter stares out the window for a moment, before turning his head towards his father. “Okay. Flash was just mean to me today, that’s all. But it’s alright. Mr. Strange handled it.”

 

“What did he say?”

 

“Just something really...stupid. I thought about lashing out. But I remembered Ms. Carol telling me that it wasn’t a good way to handle things, so I told Mr. Strange instead.” Peter says, and Tony can’t help but smile.

 

“Peter, that’s wonderful that you contained your emotions and went to your teacher. That’s what you’re supposed to do.”

 

“He told me that the divorce is because you guys didn’t love me anymore.” Peter says, in a softer tone. Tony gasps and looks at his son.

 

“That’s utter bullshit-”

 

“Dad!”

 

“Pardon my french, don’t tell your mother. But seriously, Peter. I love you and so does your mother. We love you so much.” Tony shakes his head and grips the steering wheel a little tighter. “God, that kid has  _ no _ right butting into our business like that. If only it was acceptable to deck a ten year old.”

 

That made Peter giggle. “Dad, I think you’d win that fight.”

 

Tony scoffs. “Just don’t listen to him, okay, Pete?”

 

“Okay,” Peter says. He turns in his seat, moving around as if he’s looking for something. “Oh no.”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“I left...um…” Peter sighs. “I left my jacket back at school. Can we go back and get it?”

 

“How did you not notice your jacket was missing?”

 

“It’s kinda warm out so I thought I would carry it!” Peter defends, and Tony chuckles before finding a u-turn. 

 

“Do you know where it is?” Tony asks Peter, and he nods.

 

“Yeah, it’s probably in Mr. Strange’s room. He usually stays after class for a little while to work on things. I don’t know what.”

 

Tony lets out a small chuckle. “Teacher things, probably. He’s a busy man.”

 

They didn’t travel that far from the school, and Tony parks the car in the parking lot. He gets out of the car (not before briefly fixing his hair in the mirror) and closes the car door. Peter looks at him and raises his eyebrows. “Dad,” he says. “You don’t have to come in with me. I already know where it is.”

 

Tony pauses - realizing that he really... _ didn’t _ have to go in. “Uh, well, I might as well talk to Mr. Strange and see how you’re doing.”

 

Peter groans and rolls his eyes. “No you don’t.”

 

Tony grins and nudges Peter teasingly as they walk towards the doors. “Yes I do. Need to make sure you’re getting good grades and all of that.” 

 

Tony recognizes all the hallways, and doesn’t know whether to pride himself or feel ridiculously embarrassed when he remembers the exact place Stephen’s classroom is. Peter opens the door and Stephen looks up from grading paperwork and smiles. “Hey, Peter. And...Tony?” He places his gradebook down and stands up. “Is something wrong?”

 

“Oh, no, Mr. Strange!” Peter shakes his head. “I left my jacket here.”

 

“Oh,” Stephen lets out a laugh. “I did see that, I didn’t know it was yours. I brought it to the Lost and Found. Do you know where that is?”

 

Peter nods. “Yeah, thanks. Come on, Dad!” He starts to walk out the door, and Tony holds his hand up.

 

“Hold on, Peter. You go, I’ll be here waiting. Gotta talk to your teacher, like I said.” He winks at Peter and Peter lets out a loud groan and leaves the room.

 

“So…” Stephen begins, crossing his arms and tossing a dazzling smirk that sends Tony’s heart to beat into overdrive. This man is so attractive it should be  _ illegal, _ Tony notes to himself. “You have to talk to me?”

 

“Yeah,” Tony regains his composure. “Peter was telling me today that he got into a little...um...thing with Flash. Said you handled it.”

 

“Ah.” Stephen leans on his desk, his arms still crossed. “Yeah, Flash was being...how do I put it...a little shit, I guess. Usually I can keep them separated but sometimes they slip underneath my grasp. I think Flash was making fun of your divorce or something, Peter wouldn’t say much. But he came to me and told me what was happening instead of completely lashing out, which I would say is an improvement.”

 

“Yeah. It is.” Tony tilts his head. “What did you do, by the way?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Like, how did you handle it?”

 

Stephen shrugs. “I told Flash that he’s staying inside for recess tomorrow, no ifs ands or buts. Then I said if he does it again, he’s going to the office.” 

 

“Hm,” Tony’s lips quirk upwards into a small smile. “Back in my day, we were just smacked with rulers.”

 

“Which is one hundred percent  _ not _ a good way to discipline.” Stephen shakes his head. “I love my students. Never want to hurt them.”

 

Tony smiles softly. “You’re a good guy, Stephen. I’m glad you’re my kid’s teacher.”

 

“And you’re a good father.” Stephen replies, putting his hands on either side of him on the desk. “I’ve seen some terrible parents over my days of teaching. You’re definitely a light in a dark room.”

 

Tony looks down, unable to suppress the inevitable blush. “Aw, man, Strange. Don’t make me get all emotional.” He looks up into Stephen’s blue eyes. They seem to glistening somehow, and oh, does it make something thump in Tony’s chest. “Everything’s been hard, and I’ve really been trying to make Peter feel...better about the whole thing. It’s nice to have reassurance sometimes, you know, that I am doing the right thing and am doing it well.”

 

“Well, Tony,” Stephen smiles and stands up. “You are doing the right thing. Peter’s going to be just fine and so will you.”

 

Tony takes a moment to return the smile before looking down. “Thank you.”

 

“Of course.”

 

“Okay, Dad!” Peter walks in the room with his jacket. “I’m ready to go!”

 

“Okay, Kiddo.” Tony turns back to Stephen and holds out his hand. “Strange, thanks for helping out my kid.”

 

“Of course, Mr. Stark.” Stephen grins and takes Tony’s hand and shakes it. “Anytime you want to talk about Peter’s grades, let me know.”

 

“Ugh.” Peter rolls his eyes. “My grades are  _ fine _ Dad!”

 

Stephen takes his hand away, but for a brief moment, Tony swears he lingers his fingers for a few moments, brushing them against his palm. It’s probably his imagination. 

 

“Goodbye, you two.” Stephen waves as they walk out.

 

“Bye, Mr. Strange! See you tomorrow!” Peter smiles and waves back. Tony looks back and waves as well, and Stephen grins and winks.

 

That damn wink.

 

Tony takes a deep breath as he waits for his blush to pass. He glances at poor, unsuspecting Peter, practically skipping down the hallway.

 

He’s in deep shit now.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, thanks for the influx of kudos from the last chapter! I know everyone is looking for a good post-endgame fluff to prevent canon. Anyway, what better way to do that than an AU!
> 
> Thanks for all of your support so far!
> 
> EDIT: Man i do so many edits post upload. i just fixed like 15 mistakes. im really good at this (NOT)

Carol taps her pen on her chin, her eyes studying the child across from her. Peter is staring down at his feet as he swings them gently, like he is unsure of what to say. Chances are, that is the reason. Carol has seen them before - the children who take time to adjust. They aren’t that uncommon.

 

Carol smiles as she speaks in a gentle voice. “How are you doing, Peter?”

 

“Alright, I guess.” Peter responds, his voice just breaking the line between whisper and soft-spoken.

 

Carol nods - Peter has something on his mind, she can tell. “Is there something you want to talk about, Peter? How was your week?”

 

“I..” Peter shuts his mouth - and his face changes. He looks scared, terrified, and unsure about how to go about it. He keeps opening his mouth and closing it, like a fish out of water. Carol bites her lip - communication can be difficult for young kids. She leans back into her chair, smiling softly. Patience is a huge factor, and she knows this.

 

But Peter keeps his mouth closed and drops his head, defeated at the inability to express his feelings. Carol lets out a soft sigh (not one of annoyance, but rather, sympathy) and reaches to her desk drawer. She pulls out a sketchbook and some crayons and hands it to Peter, who takes it with raised eyebrows and an unsure expression.

 

“Talking is hard, Peter. Sometimes, we can’t always think of words to say.” Carol says in that soothing tone of hers. “But pictures can mean something. Have you ever heard of the saying ‘a picture is worth a thousand words?’”

 

Peter nods slowly, his eyes flickering back and forth between the sketchbook and Carol’s face.

 

“Well,” She gestures towards the sketchbook. “Why don’t you draw me a picture? Could be a picture of anything. Or, you can try and tell me what your feelings are through your drawing.”

 

“Okay,” Peter says. “But I’m not good at drawing.”

 

Carol grins. “Neither am I, but that’s okay. Just draw whatever you’d like. No judgements here.”

 

Peter draws in a deep breath as he stares at the blank page in front of him. Carol notices some quirks Peter has when thinking. Like how is left foot taps eagerly on the floor and how he bites his lip when he’s focused on something. She wonders if he notices that he is doing all of those things.

 

Peter gasps out loud and starts drawing with a blue crayon, and Carol has to suppress a small laugh. He scribbles with intensity, a drive, and Carol watches in amusement, waiting patiently for Peter to be done.

 

About ten minutes later, Peter puts down the crayon and lifts his head up. He inhales deeply, then exhales as he turns his picture around to show Carol. Carol grins as she takes the sketchbook from him, and takes a long look at the figures on the page. “Very beautiful, Peter.”

 

“Thank you,” Peter says softly. “I’m not too good at drawing.”

 

“This is wonderful,” Carol replies. She holds the sketchbook in her arms as a way to display it so both she and Peter could see it, as if she is reading a book to a classroom full of children. She points to a stick figure towards the left of the page. “Is this you?” She asks him, and Peter nods in response.

 

Pressing her lips together in a thin smile, Carol then points to the two figures behind him, one with spiky hair and another with long hair. “And these are your parents?”

 

Peter nods again. “Yes. They’re standing behind me, like they always do when we take photos together.”

 

“Mhm. I see.” Carol points at a figure closer to the top center of the page. The figure has even longer hair. “Is this...me?”

 

Peter nods enthusiastically. “Yes, that is you.”

 

“Wow, she looks just like me!” Carol grins, and Peter’s face lightens up. “You’re very good, Peter.” She turns back and looks at the page, and frowns when she sees another stick figure near the right of the page, far away from everything else. He has a tie on. “And...who is this?”

 

Peter leans forward to peer at the drawing. “Oh, that’s Mr. Strange.”

 

Carol arches an eyebrow. “Mr. Strange?”

 

“Yeah!” Peter grins. “Mr. Strange is my teacher. He helps me out in school. He makes sure that I’m doing alright, and also keeps me and Flash away from each other so he doesn’t tease me or anything.” He pauses, his eyebrows furrowing. “He also asks me about my Dad a lot. For some reason. But mainly he asks me how I am doing and if I’m feeling okay.”

 

“That’s wonderful,” Carol says. She quickly writes _Mr. Strange - teacher_ on her notepad before getting back to the drawing. She bites her lip as she notices the expression Peter drew for himself. “Peter, do you want to explain this expression that you drew on you?”

 

Peter blinks. “Um...it’s anger.”

 

“Mhm,” Carol nods. “And this anger is directed towards your parents?”

 

“Yes,” Peter answers, and leaves his seat to press a finger to the page. He’s pointing to a jagged line that is splitting the drawing of Tony and Pepper and goes right through Peter. “This line here. It’s zig-zag because my parents are broken up, and that makes me mad.”

 

“Okay, I see. And these arrows,” Carol gestures towards the multitude of arrows pointing between Pepper and Tony. “What do they mean?”

 

“It means,” Peter sits back down in the chair. “That my parents are gonna get back together.”

 

Carol sighs and puts the sketchbook down. “Peter...I don’t think they will.”

 

Peter scowls. “You don’t know that.”

 

“I guess,” Carol sighs again. “I guess I don’t. But Peter, you have to start opening your mind up to more possibilities. There’s always a chance that your mother and father might move on. Perhaps your father might bring home another partner.”

 

Peter grits his teeth and rapidly shakes his head. “He wouldn’t do that. He loves Mom.”

 

Carol bites her lip, slightly unsure about the route she could be heading with this. She knows that it is imperative Peter understands the concept of moving on and falling out of love, but he _is_ ten - there’s only so much of this world that he can understand. She takes a deep breath, carefully choosing her words. “I know this seems hard to grasp, but Peter, that _is_ a possibility.”

 

“No.” Peter says with scorn. “No. My Mom and Dad wouldn’t do that to me. They wouldn’t!” Peter clenches his fist as he eyebrows furrow in anger. “You don’t know them like I do!”

 

“I know, Peter. But it _is_ something that you will understand when you’re older.”

 

“ _No,_ ” Peter hisses, shaking his head. “My Mom and Dad _love each other._ They’re gonna get back together. I _know_ it. They _love me._ They only _love each other._ You know nothing about them! _I_ know them. Not you!” His voice raises as tears form in his eyes. “You don’t know my family! They love _me_ and they would do anything for me! And I can tell that they still are in love!. I… I _hate you!_ ”

 

Carol holds her hands up. “That’s okay, Peter, let it all out. You’re okay.”

 

Tears are streaming down his face as Peter’s breathing becomes more even. He stops clenching his fists and leans back in the chair, steadying his breathing. His expression changes from one of anger to one more apologetic as calms himself down.

 

After five minutes, Peter wipes his eyes. “I’m...I’m sorry.”

 

Carol tilts her head, a small smile on her face. “What are you sorry for?”

 

Peter blinks, somewhat puzzled by the question. “I...um... I was angry.”

 

“Yes, you were,” Carol shakes her head. “But you don’t need to apologize for that here. This is _your room_ Peter, all emotions are welcome.”

 

Peter arches his eyebrows. “But...I lashed out. And that’s not okay to do. I said some mean things to you. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean them.”

 

Carol pulls her lips into a tight smile. “You may not have meant them, but you _felt them._ And you are allowed to feel things here.” She reaches to the side and grabs a tissue, handing it over to Peter. “And while it may not be appropriate to lash out in places like school, you are allowed to express your anger like that here. I encourage you to do that, actually, because sometimes, we all need to explode. Feelings can be pesky things that can build up inside of us, and that causes the need to release it.”

 

Peter stands up and throws the tissue in the garbage. “You didn’t even yell at me for lashing out…”

 

“Peter, like I said, this is _your room._ Where you can express any kind of emotion you want.” Carol writes on her clipboard _anger - lashed out - calmed down almost immediately._ “And you know what’s amazing, Peter?”

 

Peter looks at his hands. “What?”

 

“After you yelled, you realized what you were doing,” Carol says. “You calmed yourself down, and then you apologized. And that’s incredible, Peter. Not everyone can do that. Your parents are going to be so proud of you.”

 

“They…” Peter blinks rapidly as he stares up at Carol. “Are?”

 

“Yes,” Carol nods. “Peter, it’s okay to express emotion. But you have to know what and who is around you. Like I mentioned, in here, everything is limitless. But if you were at school, lashing out would not be acceptable. And what you just proved to me, Peter, is that if you were ever in a situation where you got angry, you would be able to calm yourself down and recognize that anger. That takes a lot, and it’s wonderful that you are able to do that.”

 

There’s a brief silence from Peter. He goes back to staring at his hands - biting at his lip. Then he lifts his head up.

 

“Can we play a game, Ms. Carol?”

 

Carol grins. “Please, call me Carol. We’re friends here, Peter.”

 

“Okay, Carol. Can we play a game?”

 

Carol nods, standing up and putting her clipboard to the side. “Of course, Peter. Monopoly again?”

 

Peter nods enthusiastically as he gets off the chair and runs to the back of the room.

 

* * *

 

“Can we go to the park, Dad?”

 

Tony turns his head to the side for a brief moment before his eyes went back towards the road. “Sure, kiddo. Any specific reason?”

 

Peter shrugs as he stares out the window. “I think Ned’s there. He said he was going to go today yesterday at school.”

 

Tony presses his lips together. “Alright, that’s no problem. Especially by how well you handled yourself today.” He smiles wide, and out of the corner of his eye, he sees Peter smile shyly.

 

“Thanks, Dad.” He says, and looks at his father. “Carol says I’m doing really well.”

 

“You are, Peter.” Tony replies, making a left turn. “I’m so proud of you.”

 

Peter says nothing, but he smiles a bit. He turns his head back towards the window and watches the houses and trees zip by.

 

The park is somewhat busy today. It consists of a playground for kids (thankfully the town swapped out the steel playset for a better, plastic ones after children would complain about how hot it would get), some tennis courts, a baseball field, and a small pathway through the woods. It’s a lovely area to visit on a good day.

 

After Tony parks, Peter runs out of the car and heads directly towards the playground. He watches his son spot his friend and the two start running onto the playset in classic young boy fashion. Tony finds himself smiling as he finds a bench to sit on, watching his son put his imagination to use.

 

“Tony Stark,” a voice pipes up from behind him. “Fancy seeing you here.”

 

Tony looks towards the source of the voice to discover Stephen Strange walking and then sitting on the bench next to him. He’s wearing a grey t-shirt and jeans that seem to look a little tight (but who’s looking? Not Tony). “Strange, hey. What are you doing here?”

 

Stephen chuckles. “My little cousin likes to come here. I’m just watching her.” He points to a young girl on the slide. “That’s her in the purple t-shirt.”

 

Tony smiles. “Aw, that’s cute. Well, you already know my youngster. We just came from a therapy session.”

 

Stephen cocks an eyebrow. “Really? How did it go, if you don’t mind me asking?”

 

“Extremely well, actually. He lashed out at one point, but realized what he was doing and calmed himself down. That’s what Carol told me.” He digs into his back pocket and pulls out a piece of paper and unfolds it. “He also drew this. It’s me, Pep, him, Carol...and he even drew you.”

 

Stephen glances at the drawing and grins. “Wow, is my hair really that messy _all_ the time?” He lets out a laugh.

 

Tony’s heart skips a beat, hearing the man laugh. He silently curses him for being so wonderful. “But you know what? It means you’re an important part of his life. Carol says you help him out in school.”

 

Stephen smiles softly. “Of course I help him out. He’s a great kid.” He stares at the drawing and frowns. “What do all of these arrows and lines mean?”

 

“Well,” Tony sighs. “Peter still thinks Pep and I are going to get back together. It’s not happening, but he’s so deep in denial he believes it’s the truth. He thinks I’m still in love with Pep, and you know, he’s right in a way. A part of me is always going to love her like that, but I mostly miss just the presence of someone’s company around, you know?”

 

“I understand.”

 

“And,” Tony continues. “It’s hard for me because...what if I want to move on? And I know that eventually, I will have someone else. How can I do that to Peter though, if he still gets so angry when someone tells him that his parents aren’t getting back together?” Tony shakes his head and rubs his neck. “I don’t know what I would do when the time comes.”

 

“That’s rough, Tony,” Stephen says. “But your son will learn and he will grow into understanding. It might be tough for him now, but he _will_ understand one of these days.”

 

Tony folds Peter’s drawing up and places it back into his pocket. “I know. But I don’t want him to take it out on whoever I decide to date, you know? He’s doing so well with his emotional management, and I don’t want to completely backtrack that.”

 

Stephen’s lips press together tightly. “Understandable. You know what’s best for you and your son. And he really is doing well. Speaking of which,” Stephen nods in Peter’s direction, who is coming over. “Here he comes.”

 

“Mr. Strange?” Peter asks as he jogs the rest of the way over. “What are you doing here?”

 

Stephen smiles. “I’m here watching my little cousin. I spotted your dad and decided to come over and speak to him.”

 

Peter scowls. “Was it about me again?”

 

“Yes,” Tony teases. “We talked all about your behavior in the classroom.”

 

Peter shakes his head. “Oh my gosh, stop doing that!” He giggles loudly.

 

Stephen glances at Tony before checking his watch. “I have to get going. I’ve been here for about an hour and a half and I gotta make Lily her lunch. Lily!” He calls out to the young girl in the purple t-shirt. “Come on!”

 

Tony holds his hand out for Stephen to shake. “Great to see you again, Stephen.”

 

“Of course, Tony,” Stephen replies, returning the hand shake. He smiles at Peter. “Have a good day, Peter. See you on Monday.”

 

“Bye, Mr. Strange!” He turns to Tony. “I’m gonna go back to Ned. See ya!” He takes off running.

 

Tony chuckles. “Man, does that kid have energy.”

 

“He takes after you, it seems.” Stephen smirks. “I’ll see you around, Tony. I’m sure of it.” He winks before he walks over to meet up with Lily.

 

Tony watches them leave, his heart rate slightly elevated and his cheeks tinted red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are interested in the pairing of Sam Wilson/Bucky Barnes, I have a few fics up for them, including a long slowburn, which you should check out! If not, just enjoy whatever fic you're going to read next!

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments are so very appreciated! i really thrive off of comments and i love you all so much.
> 
> check me out on [twitter.](https://www.twitter.com/starkologies)  
> check me out on [tumblr.](https://ironstrangepls.tumblr.com/)


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